Improvement in machine foe separating fibrous substances from the seeds



A. B. ELY.

Cotton Gin.

Patented April 2, 1867.

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ALFRED B. ELY OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters'Patent No. 63,373, dated April 2, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE FOR SEPARATING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES FROM THE SEEDS.

fltlgt fidgetnle t'tfttttb it it time itettrts Eljuteut ant mating part at 11p nun Be it known that I, ALFRED B. ELY, of Newton, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Separating the Fibrous Coverings from Seeds and Kernels, of which the following, with the accompanying drawings, is a full description.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the machine.

Figure 2 is a View of one of the serrated plates.

Figures 3 and4 are views of the grate bars.

The object of my inventions is more perfectly and simply to separate the seeds from cotton, and kernels from their fibrous coverings, and to clean fibrous materials from impurities; and the inventions consist mainly in the employment of elastic rolls in combinationl with various devices, the rolls seizing and carrying oil the fibres, and the other devices detaining and removing the seeds, kernels, and impurities.

In the drawings, A represents an elastic roll, of rubber or other suitable material. The roll should be suflicieatly compact and tenacious to resist abrasion, and suflicient-ly elastic not to out or break the fibre or crush the seeds or burs. Rings of rubber and cloth or felt, or of porous leather, put upon a rod or shaft and compressed tightly, will form an excellent roll for the purpose. D is a feeding apron for feeding the material to the roll. F 'isa grating of bars, sufiiciently far apart to allow seeds, kernels, "and burs to fall through, but suificiently near together to support the fibrous materials. E is a concave grating of bars, concentricwith and nearly touching the roll A, the bars .being sufiiciently far apart to allow the fibres of cotton or wool to be drawn through by the action of the roll, and suff ciently near to prevent the larger part of the seeds and kernels, if not all,

y from passing through. a, Z), c, and d are metallic plates, placed at an acute angle to the periphery of the roll A, and with straight edges, or with edges serrated, as in fig. 2. These edges are placed so near to the roll asto prevent the passage of seeds or burs while they do not prevent the passage of the fibres. For some purposes a single straight edge will answer; for others, a single serrated edge; for others, two or more of either or of both will be better. 13 is a hard roll, which may be made with a plain or a corrugated surface. For some purposes the plain will answer; .for others, the corrugated will be better. In some cases even a roll partly plain and partly corrugated may be found advisable. This roll B runs towards the same direction as the roll A, but

at a loss rate of speed, the surfaces of the two rolls being near enough to prevent the passage of seeds, 860., but not to prevent the passage of the fibres. c is a metallic plate, straight or serrated edge, as may be applied to the roll 13 in the manner above described. C is a roll similar to B, but revolving towards a direction difierent from A, and having its plate or edge, g is another plate "at the rear of the roll A. For some purposes the roll 13 operating with the roll A will be .sufiicient. For other purposes the roll C will be better, and for others the two will be found desirable.

The material being placed upon the nprorrznd fed up to the grates, the revolution of the roll A will draw b through and carry round the fibres, leaving behind the seeds or portions of them to fall down through the grates F. For some purposes this may suffice; for some purposes it maybe found better to remove the grates E. The

t material to be cleansed haying reached the roll A, and passing downward in the direction of the arrow, the seeds,

&c., will be retarded and removed by the plain or serrated edges, a be d, one or more, as they may be used. VVithont the use of these edges, or with, as may be desired, the material being seized and carried'downward by the roll A, on reaching the roll B, will be retarded, the roll B revolving more slowly than A, so that the swift action of A will strip off the fibre from the seed, &c., which will be left behind to drop off as it accumulates- If the edges are notused the roll 13 may -be-placed nearer to the apron. If any of the fibres, with seeds, 820.,

. attached, are carried onward by the roll B, the seeds still adhering to these will be met by the edge e and thrown off. Without the use of the edges a 6 e (Z "and the roll B, or with them, or any of them, the material being carried by roll A to roll 0, will bo met by'the counter-revolution of roll 0, and while the fibres are carried forward by A, the seeds, 3%., will be met and thrown back by C. If any fibres with seeds should be carried back and down by O, the seeds will be met by the edgef and thrown off. If the edges a b a (Z and roll B are not used, or some of them, the roll C may be placed nearer the apron. Any seeds, 850., still adhering to the fibres in the revolution of A will be met and thrown off by the edge g. Other and ordinary adjuncts, as clearers, dofi'ers, &c., can be readilympplied, and need not be described. J is a crank for turning r'oll A on shaft 1 I is a pulley on shaft 1, communicating, by belts, with pulleys G and H, on shafts 2 and 3 of rolls B and G.

For some purposes, as the removal of coarse husks or fibres from kernels, do, the grates and edges may be dispensed with, and the rolls B and C, or either of them, so disposed that the rubbing surfaces shall separate and carry forward the fibrous material, leaving the kernels, 85-0., behind. [he rolls may also be used to separate larger from smaller substances. In some cases the grate bars E, being made to embrace a sufficient portion of the periphery of the roll A, the feeding table or apron may be dispensed with, and the material being thrown directly upon this grating the fibres will be drawn through and the seed, &c., left behind.

A roll covered with leather and operating against a straight edge has been used, and I do not claim that.

The leather so used has not been found to furnish the best surface for the purpose. It becomes too hard, espe-' cially for long-stapled material. While I have described elastic rolls, which I claim in combination with my other devices, I have not claimed'any specific roll. I now propose to describe a roll and the method of fastening the same to the spindle, which I desire to claim as my own. The material is a composition ormixture ofrubher and ground rags, or other suitable fibrous material, and this may be placed on the spindle in a roll or in rings, or wound round spirally, wither without-the interposition of other substances The spindle is made with a screw-thread upon its surface suficiently high or deep to hold the elastic substance from turning on the spindle, or it is made witlra spline on its surface, to take into a recess in the inner circle of the encircling rubber. Figure 5 shows the screw-thread and spline; fig. 1 also shows the spline or feather, I; A shows the material in rings; A the material wound spirally, and A" the material a roll; 4 being the spindle.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Ratent, in machines for separating fibres from seeds, 850., is-

1. An elastic roll, in combination with a concave grating E, substantially as described.

2. An elastic roll, substantially as described, in combination'with fiat plates. (1 b c d, &c., whether one or more, and whether with plain or serrated edgesf'when arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

3. An elastic roll, substantially as described, in combination withhard rolls B C, or either of them, and whether smooth or corrugated, when arranged and operating substantially as set forth 4. An elastic roll, in combination with fiat plates a be a, &c., whether one or more, and whether plain or serrated, and hard rolls B C, or either of them, whether smooth or corrugated, arranged and operating substam tially as described.

' A. B. ELY.

Witnesses:

F, R. Bnnnnrer, Jss. T. BENEDICT. 

